Great Houses of Lybrataria
The Great Houses of Lybrataria are the Human Houses that stem from either the country of Gilmear or the Mother Home of Gliu Thea. There are six Houses that reign over six areas of the country, each serving their own purpose. House Corindyn The oldest of the bunch, House Corindyn can trace their ties to the First Men of Gliu Thea. As one of the original Anwyn Houses of the faith, their history is long and fraught with battles. It was never a given that any of the Houses would last. But it was promised by every leader that saw over any of the Human Houses since their inception. No one had the perfect way of ensuring that their banners would hang in their castles until the world eventually ends. But it was House Corindyn that began the strategic practice of marriage to ensure the elongation of their family name. Though they were a bit brutish, they were honorable people. Knowing that family is the most important thing. The Marriage of Great Houses Before Man could read or write, there were many marriages that took place on the islands of Gliu Thea. But none more famous than that of Asai Corindyn and Lysa Adequin. For many months the two were rumored to be in bed with one another. Though they were too young to admit it themselves. Asai’s father was a great Lord of House Corindyn and for his son to be seen with a lesser-Lord’s daughter, it would not be a good scene. But, surprisingly enough, when his father caught the two kissing out by a Whisperbrook tree, he greeted his son with snarky remarks when he came back inside. To Asai’s surprise, his father was touched by his son’s young love. He moved to arrange the families to have dinner together in the Corindyn castle, Sabre Keep. From there, the two Houses began the longest alliance that the Houses have seen. It has spanned three continents, hundreds of miles of sea and thousands of miles of land and still, the two are the central pillars of the Human society. House Corindyn rules over lands such as Eastgate, Asfrid’s Reach and the Hobbits of Lombis Island. Their sigil is well-known to those of the Eastlands, as you can find the Whisperbrook as far south as Hane and as far north as Pebbletown. They make their home in the Fort of the Ironwood, on the Jaw of Lybrataria in the city of Hane. Location House Corindyn can be a stubborn bunch, controlling most of the immigration that comes through Lybrataria through the massive trade and port city of Eastgate. All visitors of Lybrataria from other Eastern worlds are to be identified and controlled until the captain of the ship they came on vouches for them, and even then there’s no guarantee you’ll even get through then. Eastgate is an elaborate city, where the Corindyn show off their massive wealth to the rest of the rich, Eastern world. Funnily enough, the Hobbits of Lombis Island are quite friendly and prove to a great commodity to the Humans of the Eastlands. Their island is home to different kinds of exotic fruits and pelts that aren’t common to the Men of the West, therefore trading with them has become a great source of commerce. House Adequin Stemming from one of the original Houses in the world of Gliu Thea, House Adequin fights for honor and pride and will let no man stand in their way to get what they deserve. Their direct ties to the Deit Mother Lexus only proves further that this House was built to last and has a foundation that could keep them going for the very foreseeable future. Unlike their brothers to the East, House Adequin chooses not to flaunt their wealth, though they have a lot of it. Instead, they use it on trade and resources. Making sure their people are supplied for as long as they can support it. Rising more as a warrior family, the Adequin have taken to the role of “protector” for the Humans. A role they quite enjoy, in fact. Though noble and humble by nature, the Adequin enjoy feeling the honor and pride of their various victories in the conquering of this massive landmass. Many High-Kings and Queens have come from House Adequin, their dark, blonde hair being an attractive sight for most in the land, they’ve become the envy to most common people in the world. They know it, as well, but decide again to not flaunt their beauty and wealth, but to use it to help better the lives of the people who wear their sigil. For the Sun Cross has been known to have the most amount of people carrying their banners. Location and it's freights Because of their massive size and willingness to call battle to any who oppose the Anwyn, the Adequin have forged their home at North Gate. As opposed to her sister gate-cities, North Gate is a fortress as opposed to a city. Most of the Adequin people live in Ironcrest, High Hall, and the Golden City of Helios, but they intend to control the northern reaches of Human reign. Though the Humans control the country under their sovereign Crown, there are still beasts that lie to the north and in the Shadowlands. Their land stretches as far west as Xenu’s Range and the Shadowlands through the Golden Straits to the Golden City of Helios and Adwick’s Point. House Adequin is the only House in Lybrataria to share a border with the Therosi of Lybrataria, and they wouldn’t have it any other way. Not that the Adequin don’t trust the other Houses to fall in line and keep their wits about them when dealing with these Elves, they can be tricky. Therefore the Adequin control all communications between Humans and Elves of Lybrataria, choosing to train children to speak, read and write Elvish from a young age. Therosi aren’t their main concern, either. Their terrain gives them control over the Crown’s Forest, a popular hunting spot for the royal family that lives in Ironcrest. This forest sits just south of the Ratytie Narrows, a strip of land on the southern part of the Kinu River where the massive humanoid race of the Ratytie make their home. These tribal, cannibalistic beasts have one of two mindsets. They either hate the common-folk, or they don’t. And if they don’t, it doesn’t mean they like you. In fact, they don’t like anyone who’s not a Ratytie. The difference between hate and dislike, is that they don’t rip your limbs off and eat them in front of you when they dislike you. Some have even traveled south to become one with our culture. Though they stick mostly to the selling of horses and other northern goods. They don’t talk much, and when they do they can barely speak common. House Adequin’s main goal is to protect the Throne from any northern threats. Their proximity to Ironcrest alone, this can be a hard task. But Adequins would rather die defending the throne than watch it burn. House Thorne One of many kin-Houses of House Adequin and House Corindyn, the House of Thorne is the only of the kin-Houses to be granted land in Lybrataria. Their alliance with the two richest and most honorable Houses in the country gave them almost complete immunity in the eyes of the Crown. The Marriage The uniting force, a marriage between the final son of Callub Corindyn, Telor, of Gilmear married the final bastard daughter of Pierce Adequin. Ceryn of the Redmount. Due to her bastard status, Telor made the choice to use his riches to start a new house, to save the name of the Adequin. It wasn’t entirely his choice, but he knew it was the best thing to do in the eyes of the family. Once Telor and Ceryn wed, they produced 6 sons within 10 years of each other. One of which was a bastard he brought home from his travels in the Crown Forest. Ceryn didn’t seem to quite mind the bastard child, more scorning Telor than anyone. In fact, she spent 6 weeks not speaking to him and keeping away in the woods in their summer home. She returned home after a pack of Orcs attacked the camp, and she barely survived with three of her sons, one severely injured. The six sons, born in the order as follows: Carin, Asfrid, Jon, Telor, Barris, Bryne, became popular boys in the community. Though all of them were within ten years of each other, there really was no favoritism or sibling rivalries. It was a perfect situation, and the Thorne grew to a House that commanded respect from their neighbors. Their honor and loyalty gave the Adequin and Corindyn cause to trust them to own some important lands in terms of trade and travel. Location House Thorne was granted the Delta Titan, where the Primm and Dusnari Rivers meet with Lake Titan in the center of the country. Making their home at South Gate, in the Glass Keep, their massive castle that overlooks the entire city, highlighted by a glass art rendering of the Throne family sigil. Controlling the middle part of the country, and the gateway to the south, the bannermen under the Thorne rule range from the edges of the Primm River at Oldtown, all the way east to the western ridges of the Silver Mountains and the Dwarven strongholds turned cities, Hilrion and Enhill. Lake Titan takes up a massive section of the Thornelands, but there are no easy ways of exploring it. A couple of explorers have survived, but the lake is so massive it creates it’s own storm system that whip massive storms and hurricanes in the centre. It’s almost unnatural. South Gate is flanked not only by the Glass Keep, but by the actual South Gate itself. A massive gate and wall that connects each sides of the Delta Titan and leads down to the Port of Sighs to sail the Lake Titan or take the paths either toward Hilrion and Enhill or towards Han Boldur toward Coloborne. The Thorne are strategic with how they settled, as most of the family lives inside the walls of South Gate. But most of their bannermen and distant families living in Oldtown and in the safety of the ancient Dwarven caves. The terrors don’t stop there, as the dangerous heart of the country also contains the wide and long Pinehowl Forest. A treacherous forest full of Ents, cat-people, and other exotic beings. Ents and the trees of the forest soar so high in the air that they reach the clouds. Their songs of whistles and whispers through the wind entertain the locals and keeps them sleeping well. Ents are not aggressive, but can be when provoked. House Thorne has made peace with the Ents, promising to keep off their lands and to only settle in open areas so they won’t need to be disposed of. Oldtown also acts as a hub for travel, sitting on the King’s Road, the main road through the country that connects all four of the gates to each other. Oldtown serves many people, multiple markets and merchants park themselves and settle right on the side of the road as people from all over come to buy. Oldtown not only sits on the King’s Road but right on the Primm River. With a port and a market hub, it brings a lot of money to the people of House Thorne. House Deek One of the more hardened families in the world, House Deek has ties to the First Men. They’ve lived on the shores for their entire history, being some of the first to build ships and set sail for the different parts of the world. Originating from the Southern Shards in Gliu Thea, the soldiers of House Deek follow one rule and one rule only: “No sins at sea.” House Deek has been a great friend of House Adequin and House Corindyn since the first days of the Human race. Their position on the Shards made them a strategic resting point for travelers on the Mooncrest Pass, a road that connects the three great Houses. House Deek made their home in the centre of the road. You knew you were in Deek when you saw their massive, sharp stone towers on the horizon with their sigil Bullfrog resting atop the sharp point. Though House Deek made their home out of stone, they still lived on the sea. Again, their strategic positioning on the Shards showed to be genius. Their access to miles of timber, the most abundant resource on the island, allowed them to built the first boats seen in the modern world. What started with small fishing boats that looked like shields turned on it’s head, eventually evolved to massive, gorgeous fleets of maroon sails. The Deekfleet & Role in Expansion The Deekfleet was the first fleet to sail across the Sea of Uaris, as they were intended to. Prophecies foretold of their great voyage west, towards what is now known as Xenu’s Range, the mountains that line the Wildlands to the northwest, just beyond the Shadowlands. A range that once was home to a series of massive volcanos known as The Bedrocks. Their smoke and constant ash storms created extremely hazardous conditions to sail on. It wasn’t time, and the Deekfleet retreated home to the Shards. Another many years would pass before the Deekfleet sailed anywhere other than the coasts to Island of Lexus and the Adequin stronghold, and through the winding rapids of the Shards. The Deekfleet were the ships to complete the Stoor Bifast, and help bring the people to the new home of Gil’Mayir. Which, over a generation or two, became slurred into Gilmear. When expansion brought them and their old friends east to the great country of Lybrataria, Captain Jorn Deek touched land at the Starfish Peninsula, he named his settlement after his one true love, Brandy. The settlement would survive on as a successful town in the future and would eventually turn to a drinker’s cove. Location House Deek was granted land once the official Matriarchy of Lybrataria began, when all corners of the country had been discovered and mapped by the mysterious figures hired by the Adequin from the lands of the east. House Deek was given what they called The Crumbs of Earth, tall circular stone structures made from eroded mountains over millions of years. House Deek built massive city-forts on top of each of these “Crumbs”, but found home on the island plateau of Dryrest. Tempest’s Post was built on Dryrest, solidifying the home of the lands’ soaked-lords. Lybrataria’s treacherous southeastern pocket is overseen by House Deek. Constant storms pound the Crumbs and Dryrest. Titaria, sits on top of a separate plateau. Instead of being in the ocean, this plateau is a natural one that was formed by the extreme winds over many years scraping away at the soft earth. House Qui makes their home in Titaria. The Qui are the second largest family in the Windswept Chin of Lybrataria. House Marke Born from the elder houses of House Boffarandon and Rylie, House Marke made quick friends with the great Houses of Lybrataria. From the offset, the Houses of Rylie and Boffarandon were never going to leave Gliu Thea with the great pilgrimages. Both had extremely strong connections with the homeland and the Anwyn Deities. Their solution to the pilgrimage was marriage. Jorn Boffarandon, the first son of Amin, Fadir of House Boffarandon, married Alyia Rylie, princess to House Rylie, to form the new kin-House. Mark of Man Jorn chose the name Marke after seeing his sigil, the bloody handprint of a fallen enemy on the bark of a tree while traveling to their new home in Gilmear. He enjoyed it so much, that he immediately made his squire trace it. Since then, the Mark of Man became the house sigil for House Marke. An eerie sight to see anywhere in Gilmear, as Jorn and Alyia became very aggressive leaders. Choosing to punish their prisoners by torture and dismemberment, a method not practiced by the traditional houses in the country. Upon hearing of the brutal methods of torture being done on the local pale orcs in the area, House Corindyn and House Adequin pled with House Marke to stop or immediate repercussions would be upheld. Marke listened, to their better judgement, and only chose to keep their orc prisoners in their dungeons to rot. Location Making their home in the Silver Mountains in the southwest corner of Lybrataria, they control they only pass towards the Half-Blood Hook, the southern shores of the country. The people of Marke have riddled the mountain pass of Ilyven’s Way with the Mark of Man, and when half-bloods are sent south, it’s the thing they last see before leaving. Reining from the Tempest Spyre in the great city of Coloborne, their castle is built like that of the Crimson Palace in Ironcrest, where the High-Leaders sit. House Marke’s connections to the mountains and their well-structured relationship with the few settlements of Dwarves, that still live in the country, gave them the opportunity to learn. Learn the ways of building and architecture. The Dwarven families showed the Markes how to make elaborate cities inside the massive mountains, and how to survive in the harsh conditions. Most of their battle/war tactics were shared as well. In their short history, from their birth on Gilmear and to their eventual migration east, House Marke has made an impression on the great Houses of Lybrataria. Theirs was the first to earn their land from another House, the once great House Pokkal lost their land to House Marke after House Pokkal had a dynasty reign over the country. House Alastar Closest in appearance to the first men of Gliu Thea, House Alastar is one of the only Houses in the country to live on the western side of Mount Zodigus in abundance. Due to it’s relative proximity to the rest of the human population to the west from Gliu Thea and Gilmear, many humans from many different Houses live in the area. Though they are one of the younger Houses in the country, House Alastar is yet another kin-House borne from House Corindyn and House Adequin, therefore the land was theres from the beginning. The Westerlands were originally territory owned by House Adequin, but the Shadowlands cut through the territory to the north, therefore it made it hard for the Lords of Adequin to maintain a section of land so close to the orcs of Ierea. Oldtown would be the closest town that was controlled by a great House, but house Thorne could not reach the Westerlands through Fool’s Reach. It was then decided to marry both middle children from the Fadir of both Corindyn and Adequin to create the next great kin-House. Location House Alastar was sent to rule over the Westerlands, in the city of Kilmoor. The city was one of great extravagance and leisure. As the oldest city in the country, being forged from the first of the travelers from Gilmear, it is massive. Having four sub-cities bordering the massive city walls, the city holds the second biggest population in the country, next to Ironcrest. Many Houses live in and outside of the city walls, forming different sections of the city and sub-cities to be claimed. Holding four bigger settlements, including Kilmoor, it is House Alastar’s job to control the migrating Humans from Gilmear and Gliu Thea, to holding the northern front against the orcs of Ierea. With their noticeably blue eyes and silver hair, you can see an Alastar from a mile away. Alastars honor loyalty to the 5 Honors of Man, forging the Mirror Stones, the 5 stone slabs with the Five Honors of Man inscribed in them. They rest upon the high hills of Shadenhill. House Alastar makes their home in one of the 4 sub-cities outside of Kilmoor, in Fort Aysel. Alastars produce whitestone, a gorgeous mineral that shine so bright in the sun and moon that they act as a pillar for sailors. House Alastar’s sigil is a silver eagle in a sea of blue.